The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-28
TIE INDIANAPOLIS JOURNAL, MONDAY. MARCH IS. 1887.

Joseph Staub $50; Thos. c. Day, $40; Mrs Theo
Norwood, Albert Shapebarger John Schauber.
and friend, each So: Henry Coe, $40, and other
amounts, including the evening basket colec-
ton. sufficient to make the amount for the
day 81, 1885.
The pastor then gave the following historical
sketch of the church:
This. the First English Lutheran Church of
indianapolis. as it is called is, in fact, the First
Lutheran Society of annapolis; for the Ger
man Lutheran are younger organizations than
this lions Church is the daughter of this It
was organized in 1889. by certain of the German
members of our society who wanted services
altogether in their mother tongue. The
first entry in our record book is under
the date Jan. %. 1897 1t states that at meet
ing of the members of the Evangelical Luth-
eran Church in Indianapolis, after preaching
by the Rev. Abraham Reck. this church was
ganized by signing the annexed constitution,
and was given the name Mt Pisgah At the
same meeting the first deacons were elected and
installed. They were King English and P. W.
Seibert.
THE second entry is under the date May Is,
same year. King English, p. w. Seibert, George
Brown and Elijah Martin were chosen as a COM
mittee to solicit subscriptions to build house Of
worship, and Adam Haugh and Henry Ohr were
elected elders
Henry Chr the first treasurer. But Henry Ohr
appears to have served secretary, too for the
entries from the beginning down to Sept. 5, 1858,
are IN his handwriting. His son. John a. Ohr,
succeeded his father in this office John Fl Ohr
was secretary until 1867. Theodore L. Heiber
was secretary 1867 J. G. Greenawalt in 1901.
In November, 1887, Adam Haugh. Henry Orr,
+. w. Seibert and King English were
appointed a building committee, and
On the Sd day of March, 1888, this committee
contracted with A. Brouse & Co. "for the build
ing of house of worship, to be built Of brick,
forty feet square, one end gallery. etc." At the
same time 1t was voted to build the church on a
lot owned by Rev. A. Reck. on Ohio street.
south side, between Pennsylvania and Meridian
streets. The building was completed in the
same year. There were seventeen original
signers of th~ constitution, viz: Abraham Reck.
George Brown. John Patton. Henry Gaver P.
w. Seibert, Adam Haueh, King English Mary
Haugh. Susan Patteu, Sarah A. Lands. Sarah
Brown. Isabella Brown. Obadiah Brown, Mary
A English, Margaret e. Martin. Mary English,
Catharine Seibert However, others prominent
in the early work of the church became mem
bers SO soon afterward that they were practic-
ally original members and add their names as
follows: Henry Onr, Sarah Ohr. Margaret A
Ohr and Elizabeth Gaver May, 1897; Edward
Fridley and Ciarissa Karn June, 1897 Soon
afterward were added the names of Jonathan
Frankem. Daniel Ringer. Catherine Wiley, Eliz-
abeth Fry. Joseph K. English, Ann Elizabeth
Haueh, Louisa Haugh, Julian Ohr, Charlotte
Hauch, Anna Frankem, Mary Prestle. Peter
Hessong John H. Ohr, Benjamin Haugh,
George Peter Brown, Sarah Ann Arown, Eman-
uel Haueb. George HATS, Simon Peter
Ohr, Peter Haugh, Martin Luther Ohr,
Jacob Beck, Christian Beck, Sarah Haugh.
James A. Brown, and others whose
nar,es are no longer familiar hereabouts But
how familiar the most of these names sound to
US! The most of them are gone but their chill.
dren remain to make the record seem less OF
a past generation than it really is. No OF
the original seventeen remains but we still have
with US. and in the church. Jonathan Frankem,
Anna Frankem, Ann Eliza Haugh Brown,
Mary Prestle, Joseph K. English and John
H. Ohr. who became members very
soon after the organization was effected.
Christian Beck left only last summer.
Obadiah Brown who became a minister of the
| gospel, died only two years ago. March 90 1854,
a committee consisting of Jacob Beck. Joel
| Kline. Jonathan Frankem and Henry Ohr was
| selected to build new church ediice Jacob
| Beck the president of it, Jon. Frankem
| treasurer, and Henry Ohr secretary. The first
| service was held in the basement Of the new
| church May 4. 1855. Rev. ". II. Harrison,
| of Cincinnati preached the sermon. Jonathan
| Frankem hauled all the bricks taken from the
| old building over to the Alabama street lot.
| where they were worked into the new building.
! 1t was finished far as to enable the congrega
| ton to occupy the basement, for S., 000
| The following is the list of pastors from the
| hovso